JOH (John of Ohio) Regimen for Meniere's Disease details

Yes ear pressure is down for sure good question!

 

Excellent! When my pressure and hypersensitivity dissipate, I know I'm getting closer to normal hahaha! No such thing as normal for most of us.

 

Hello everyone, I was diagnosed with Meniere's very recently (this month) and ran into this post yesterday when I was doing my research on the disease. Currently my symptoms are very mild (ear fullness & temporary hearing loss that lasts a day or two with mild dizziness). My ENT has been useless. He just told me I have Meniere's and told me there's nothing he can do, so I was on my own to look for my own answers to this disease.

I probably read about 1

 

Hello everyone, this is gonna be a long story. But I swear it's related to the John of Ohio's regiment.

I was diagnosed with Meniere's very recently (this month) and ran into this post yesterday when I was doing my research on the disease. My ENT has been useless. He just told me I have Meniere's and told me there's nothing he can do, so I was on my own to look for the answers to this disease. I want to get it under control while it's still in the early stages and prevent long-term damage as much as possible.

I spent about 50+ hours reading articles and scientific studies on Meniere's disease over the last 3 weeks or so. After doing my research, I arrived at the conclusion that the Meniere's disease is caused by irregular/decreased blood flow in the inner ear.

In 2012, there was a study done at the University of Colorado "the researchers propose that a fluid buildup in part of the inner ear, which is strongly associated with Meniere attacks, indicates the presence of a pressure-regulation problem that acts to cause mild, intermittent decreases of blood flow within the ear."

The Meniere attack: An ischemia/reperfusion disorder of inner ear sensory tissues - ScienceDirect

Note how this is the second principle of JOH's theoretical background on Meniere's.

So over the last two weeks, I have implemented a diet/lifestyle regime that aims to increase blood flow within the inner ear. I have been eating garlic, onions, Omega 3 (one of the most potent natural anti-coagulants), curcumin supplements and a lot of green veggies (nitric oxides). These are all things that either improve circulation or act as vasodilators or anti-coagulants. I also started running for 20 minutes everyday to improve both temporary & permanent circulation.

This seemed to have worked. My series of attacks stopped and I only had one mild attack since I implemented these changes.

But I felt like there was still something missing. In the back of my mind, I felt like these were just a Band-Aid solution. Why do I have blood flow issues in my inner ear in the first place? I am a young dude who never had health or cardiovascular issues. This shouldn't have even happened in the first place. I even thought it might have been due to poor neck posture, but I wasn't fully convinced. I knew I was missing something.

Welp, I ran into this post yesterday and read the John of Ohio white paper. And it presented the missing puzzle piece in my theory: The intermittent lack of blood flow, which causes the endolymphatic hydrops, is due to the herpes virus located in the inner ear which causes inflammation when it's active.

Now, I am not a scientist by any means, but this made so much sense. It explains why there sometimes seems to be a random remission period. It explains why I suffered my attacks after I went to large parties/events full of people (weakened immune system due to the exposure of various colds & viruses). It explains why for most people, Meniere's is a progressive disease that seems to get worse over time (virus settles in & builds up in the body over time).

So long story short, I ordered L-Lysine and will be taking 3000mg of it starting tomorrow. L-lysine seems to be the key piece in the John of Ohio regime as it's the only component that actually addresses the herpes aspect. Everything else is aimed at increasing blood flow. I also ordered vitamin D, vitamin C, lemon bioflavonoid, ginko extract and MSM. Will be holding off on the vinopocetine for now as it seems a bit potent. I already consume a lot of other stuff that increases blood flow. I also quit coffee 3 days ago.

So fingers crossed that consuming l-lysine and decreasing the viral load of the herpes virus was actually the missing puzzle. If l-lysine actually works, this will be a fucking miracle.

 

One question though. I believe that herpes antibodies can be detected through blood tests. While this wouldn't confirm that the herpes of a Meniere's patient is located in the inner ear, shouldn't it still be the first step so that we can confirm our Meniere's is actually caused by Herpes? I know most people have the virus but there's still about 20% of people who don't.

 

It's sad that most of us are more informed about this disease than our doctors. You are doing the right thing. Go hard at it and don't stop. I am 5 + years now. Thought I had it under control with supplements, strict low sodium and no processed foods. All good for almost 2 years, then ear got full, hypersensitivity again and vertigo started with a vengeance once again. So back to hardcore diet, upper cervical and vestibular Physical therapy again. And I did get blood work for HSV which showed positive. Doctors refuse antivirals. JOH now.
Bad ear has suffered from last series of attacks.Hearing definitely worse.
Stay the course and keep fighting!

 

I made this spreadsheet to help me sort my pills for the John of Ohio Regimen. Thought I would share it in case it helps anyone else sort through the pills and dosages easier.

JOHN OF OHIO REGIMEN

Let me know if you see any errors.

 

I just joined and am not sure how to use this so please forgive mistakes. I wanted to say that I’ve read a lot of comments and I can personally say I have been to Dr. Gacek and am currently receiving Steroid ear injections along with antiviral low dosage. I also take a small amount of antihistimine daily that helps some too. I don’t tolerate meds well but the steroid stays local and not through your body thankfully. Dr. Gacek said that it’s the combination of the steroid and antiviral that helps some people. I am going to try John of Ohio treatment also. I went to other ENT’s and they said no known cause no know cure, just take a water pill antihistimine and nose spray. All of which dries me out terribly. Water pills long term are bad for kidneys and electrolytes. Anyway Im not taking this lying down. God is Good and I’m praying for direction and victory!Hope for All.

 

Hi there Hoping. If I may ask, how long did it take for you to get an appointment with Dr. Gacek? I’m in Canada and was thinking about making the trip, needless to say, I echo much of what others have said here about their ENT experience. My ENT actually just discharged me from care saying there’s nothing he can do.

 

I’m so sorry mine says same. I’m Hoping! I got into Dr. Gacek in 2 weeks but wait is usually 4 weeks I’m told. I had no idea he was who he is as far as MM is concerned. Found him by doing research and saw he was 1 hour away. What a blessing. I’d be glad to give you any information that I can to help.

 

It's been 14 days since I implemented the JOH regimen. Well, the first 2 days was L-lysine only, and the rest of the 11 days included the Nature's Life lemon bioflavnoid (which also includes Hesperidin & Rutin), Ginkgo biloba extract, MSM & Vitamin C.

I have not experienced any episodes since then. But it's still too early to tell if it's due to the JOH diet as I have went 2+ weeks without episodes in the last 3 months before the diet.

HOWEVER, there is one thing I want to note. I noticed a really positive change in my body with this regimen and my super restricted diet that I added alongside it.

My face & eyes are super clear & white. They are no longer mildly flushed like they used to be before. Especially my eyes. Now, you might be going "what the fk is this dude talking about". But please read through it.

I always suspected that I have a slight histamine intolerance as my face & eyes would get extra flushed when I ate high histamine food like pork & canned beans. But I have never seriously addressed it nor did much research.

Well, it turns out, besides L-lysine, all the supplements I am taking from the JOH diet are known to have strong anti-histamine effects on the body. Bioflavnoids, ginkgo biloba (quercetin), MSM and vitamin C all tend to be recommended as anti-histamine supplements. Plus the low-sodium diet I have been trying also coincidentally consists of low-histamine foods.

So the point I am trying to make is that by trying out the JOH diet, I realized that I might actually have histamine intolerance.

And there are some studies that link histamine/allergy to Meniere's.

-https://bmcmedgenomics.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12920-019-0533-4
-https://bmcmedgenomics.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12920-019-0533-4
-https://scientificliterature.org/Otolaryngology/Otolaryngology-18-120.pdf (Rise in histamine levels caused endolymphatic hydrops in guinea pigs.)

So could it be that some people benefit from JOH's regimen as their Meniere's are triggered by high histamine levels in the body?

Regardless, I will keep on trying the JOH regiment (and also the low-histamine diet) and report back.

 

Thanks Hoping and thank you for the private message offering to help. My ENT ignored my entire case history because what triggered my initial visit to him was a sudden, significant change in hearing. The reality is that my hearing had been changing for about a year prior (tinnitus, noticed I wasn't hearing certain frequencies as well). After this sudden "hearing event", I've had ever typical MM symptom with the exception of rotational vertigo. Ear fullness, hearing fluctuation, popping and clicking in my ears when I swallow, distorted sounds (especially low frequencies), dizziness, nausea, vomiting. Everything. I have gained relief from the dizziness, coinciding with a significant dietary change. I also started the JOH regimen about 45 days ago and have had a reduction in fullness. Some days are actually decent now.

 

Although, I'm on the healing journey myself, I can say stick with it. Consistency is key. I have some great days and bad days, but it's so hard to keep your positivity on those bad days - the good days are always forgotten and you want to give up. This is a marathon, not a sprint. Real change is going to happen over months, not days. It's about an improving trend complete with ups and downs.

I actually started to keep a log, where I rank the severity of my symptoms every day. This gives me perspective and something to look back at when the dark days occur.

 

Wow you have been through it! It’s terrible. I have had all those except vertigo and vomiting. Have felt like it though. Use Ginger Chews for nausea. Small amounts of antihistimine (can’t tolerate much) and Ayclovir antiviral and steroid shots in ear drum. Series of 4 Im on #2. I’m having some good days but never completely gone, still have not so good ones. My big issue is balance. Dr. Gacek says its bc virus is targeting different nerve than ones with vertigo. I want to stop this in its tracks if possible. Am also going to start some of the JOH method. Hope you get help, hoping and praying we all do. My first ENT said I had Menieres and gave me antihistamines, and second ENT said a water pill that I cannot take, Dr. Gacek is doing the antiviral and shots.

 

Hello, would you recommend that the l-lysine go beyond 5000 mg/day? Also, if there is a vaccine for HSV1 or HS2 do you think that this would help?

 

I began having loud persistent tinnitus and fulness in my right ear about three months ago. I meet with an ENT and his PA in early November. Both told me there was nothing they could do, but to contact them if I developed a sudden dramatic loss of hearing. After a couple of weeks investigating the symptoms, I happened upon this site. I immediately began a low salt diet, which helped a lot.

I started John's regimen a couple of weeks after I began low salt. It's been a month and the tinnitus is quieter and sometimes disappears entirely for a day or two. I'm not sure how much is due to the dietary changes vs. the regimen, but I plan to continue both. I haven't had any vertigo or experienced hearing loss, so I don't know if it's Meniere's. I figure if it is, John's regimen might help me avoid the worse parts of the disease.

Right now I'm looking for another ENT, because I want a second opinion and to check for a tumor - rare but possible. I want to thank John for the time and effort he's committed to helping others with the disease. I'll post an update in a month or two, and hopefully provide more evidence for the usefulness of the supplements.

If anyone has further advice on how to manage these symptoms, feel free to post a reply, thanks.

 

I have some similarities to your story, except I noted the onset of mild tinnitus in my right ear back in the summer of 2021. I had a hearing test in December which showed high frequency drop off in both ears - all of which was explained as normal for my age and due to exposure of loud sounds when I was younger (eg. concerts etc.). Then I started to notice some changes in my hearing. For example, I couldn't hear ventilation/HVAC with my left ear. Then the hammer dropped on August 1st when I woke up with a significant change in hearing in my left ear. All other Meniere's like symptoms followed.

The bottom line is that I haven't been formally diagnosed with Meniere's, instead I've been diagnosed with Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss. I'm doing JOH because I see it as a low risk high reward scenario. I can do nothing and keep dealing with feeling like crap, while running the risk of progression, or I do something and try to live my best life. Other than money spent and effort I think it's the right decision.

You should definitely check for a tumor via an MRI. It's probably nothing, but it's part of the protocol.